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Bruce came to personal finance writing the old fashioned way: he didn't have much money, but wanted to do cool things. Clearly, some creativity was in order. From traveling around Europe to paying for a wedding, moving to New York to raising a child, he's figured out how to have fun without spending much money. In the process, he's also learned a few things about how politics and economics can help (or hurt) middle class finances. As DailyFinance's senior features writer, Bruce gets to combine his two favorite things: learning how the world works and explaining what he's learned to his readers.

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Everybody knows that electric cars make sense. They consume fewer resources, produce fewer emissions, and often have excellent acceleration. They're quiet, getting cheaper to buy, and -- given current gas prices -- cost less to use. At the risk of making hard-to-substantiate predictions, it looks like they could very easily be the wave of the future.

So why aren't you driving one?

Sure, there's the range issue. Depending on where you live, it can be a long drive between charging stations. For example, California has 1,413 stations, Florida has 395, and Idaho has only five. So if you don't live in California, you might be doing a lot of math as you calculate the distances that you'll need to travel between recharges.

Then there's the emissions issue: As I wrote recently, depending on where power plants in your state get their fuel, electric cars may not be as green as you thought. Still, even in the worst states, an electric car has about the same emissions as a Honda.

But the biggie might be price -- which really comes down to a battery issue. Forget that $100 Sears Die Hard: electric cars' battery arrays routinely cost $12,000 or more, which makes them a huge factor in determining the overall price of the car. On the bright side, analysts predict that their price will drop by half within the next seven years or so. On the down side, we're not there yet.

Bottom line, as Lydia DePillis seemed to suggest in The Washington Post's Wonkblog earlier this week, there needs to be a concentrated, sustained push for electric cars. Right now, their growth is largely dependent upon fluctuating factors, like the rise and fall of gas prices, or the periodic surges and declines in government incentives to the alternative energy industries. Consistent support for infrastructure and development could cut electric car prices, increase their useability, and generally speed up their adoption by the general public.

A recent Interest.com study looked at the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the United States to see which median-income households in those respective areas can afford to purchase a new car, the average price of which was $30,550 in 2012, according to TrueCar. The study found that in only one city can residents actually afford a car with this sticker price -- Washington, D.C.

Households with an average income in Washington, D.C. can afford a payment of up to $628, which would allow for purchase of a $31,940 vehicle. The next closest city, San Francisco, can only afford $537 per month, equating to a $26,786.

While it's not news that Americans like to buy things that they can't afford, the data is a little surprising given how many great cars there are out there for well under $30,000. Solid hybrids, CUVs, sedans and sports cars can all be had for less than this.

We've racked our brains and come up with 5 of the best cars that are cheaper than the average car's purchase price. These are affordable, versatile, fun and fuel efficient. Of course, there are some stinkers in this price range, as well, so we've included 5 vehicles we think you should avoid.

The Subaru BRZ proves that driving bliss doesn't have to cost a fortune. The rear-wheel drive sports coupe is one of the most engaging vehicles on the road today, with utterly superb dynamics and looks. The best part? You can have one for $25,495.

Although the redesigned 2014 version of this handsome hatch will be on sale in the near future, the current generation is still worth buying. It's fuel efficient, fun and surprisingly versatile. Starting at less than $20,000, the Golf is also quite affordable.

The Toyota Pirus v is essentially a bigger version of the popular Prius hybrid. This hatchback acheives stellar fuel economy while allowing for transport of numerous people and all of their stuff. Starting at $26,650, you can have all the benefits of a versatile hybrid for an agreeable price.

The Mazda CX-5 is one of our favorite crossovers here at AOL Autos even when taking more expensive ones into account. Remarkably fun to drive, fuel efficient and starting at a low price, there's a lot to love about this agile utility vehicle.

This small sedan continue to be the darling of both critics and consumers nationwide. Available with tons of standard features, great looks and sweet fuel economy, the Elantra is one of the best cars on the planet right now.

The 200 is a holdover from when Chrysler was owned by Daimler and then private equity-firm Cerberus Capital. It's not that this car is awful, especially since the new Chrysler, managed by Fiat, made a series of improvements. It's that the other cars in this category are so good, and much better designed and engineered.

The Scion tC is intended to be a sporty coupe. The problem? It's not sporty. At all. In fact, the tC finds itself on the Consumer Reports list of the least fun cars to drive and we're inclined to agree with that assessment.

Don't be fooled by the badge. This is not really a luxury car. With uninspired driving dynamics and a lackluster interior, you should pass on the ILX even though its low sticker price seems very tempting.

The idea of the smart fortwo is great. It's the execution that's the problem. The fortwo is loud, terrible to drive and really isn't all that fuel efficient, considering its size. There are way better options between $10,000 and $20,000.

36 Comments

I plug my Chevy Volt in at night. By next morning it's fully charged and ready to go. I commute 22 miles every day to work and don't ever need to buy gas for this. On the weekends I travel around town all over the place and normally don't use any gas there either. The only time I use any gas is when going up north for camping and fishing. The Volt has a range of 45 miles on pure electric and 300 miles on gas. It uses about 7 gallons to go 300 miles (that's 42 mpg).

I paid a total of $28,000 for the car new, fully decked out with leather seats, fancy stereo etc. You can get them cheaper now, especially the 2013 models.

It costs me 9 cents per KWhr for the electric. It takes 10 KWhrs to fully charge, which allows me to go 45 miles. So basically it costs me 90 cents to go 45 miles. In a normal gas car it would cost about $4.00 for the same ride.

In tests that they did on the battery they estimate 200,000 miles before it needs replacement. I won't keep it that long of course. They are already developing a 200 mile version of the Volt versus the 45 mile that I have. The car will also have a lower pricetag, I'm told. I will rpobably trade mine in 3 years for another newer model.

Yes cruiser, the final price was 28k plus change. Federal tax credit $7500, Illinois rebate of $3945. Dealer price for the car was 39,450 - bought it thru internet car search, had it delivered to local dealer from another dealer 140 miles north of here. Lots of Volts sitting on dealer's lots, and dealers are willing to part with them for low price. They are not high sellers, so dealers would rather move them out at low price than have them hang around another year.

My other car is a supercharged convertible (American made muscle car) that I use on Sundays. I'm a car guy and love both of them. Each has its pluses and very few minuses.

MONEY. A whole lotta money. Because they dont have the distance capacity of gas engines. IF the obama adm was SO concerned with efficiency then the ETHANOL would be taken out of fuel and it would return to being efficient.

I would love to end my addiction to fossil fuels but I cannot for 2 reasons.1) The initial cost of the electric vehicles - Who has $30, 000 to spend on a car? - The car will wear out before I realize my ROI. This calculation does not even consider the cost to replace the batteries!2) I have not seen any charging station where they might be needed in the Phoenix metro area. The powers that be should have installed the charging stations BEFORE they started selling the electric cars! For electric cars to become popular, they need to develop a way to plug the car into any ordinary electrical outlet.

Everybody knows that electric cars make sense he says.IMO, they don\'t make sense except in limited applications, such as route delivery.All the environmental and social arguing cannot change the laws of physics. Whether its lithium ion, zinc air, sulpur, hybrid lead acid or whatever, batteries are are not very efficient source of energy versus gasoline ..its called energy density.If you only need a car for short commutes then really what difference does it really make? You could drive a Packard...Look for pure electrics to take maybe a 1% or less market share by 2020.IMO, its much ado about nothing as far as a practical substitute for an ICE or Hybrid.

Ice is ~25%(best case) efficient, throwing away 75% of it's energy source (gasoline) as heat out the tailpipe. Electric motors, on the other hand, deliver ~90% to the wheels. energy density is not the only efficiency metric available in the equation of utility.